Kentucky Football fans are continuing to embrace what has been somewhat of a fairy tale offseason. After an extended period of turmoil within the program, it’s now evident that the Cats are heading in the right
direction under their new leadership.
As expectations continue to increase, it’ll be the responsibility of the coaching staff and administration to secure the caliber of player that it’ll take to consistently win games in the toughest football conference in America.
Thankfully, the BBN’s new leader on the gridiron, Will Stein, has already demonstrated he has the required juice when it comes to getting talented players to join him in Lexington.
This spring, Stein will also have the opportunity to coach some quality, inherited talent as well as the new players he’s bringing in.
One of those key returnees is a budding star on the defensive line, with many praising his choice to return to UK.
Georgia native Tavion Gadson suffered a knee injury in 2024 but came back with a vengeance last season. His 28 tackles and two sacks made him a candidate for 2025 Comeback Player of the Year.
In a year that was filled with no shortage of frustrating moments, Gadson offered a true bright spot on what was a bad 5-7 football team. The announcement of his return came as welcome news for any UK football supporter.
On3 Sports released their Way-too-early Top 100 college football players for the 2026 season list, and Gadson checked in at No. 79. Pretty darn impressive. You can check out the entire list here.
Having a solid core upfront on both sides of the ball is a critical element to stabilizing this football program. Bringing back Tavion Gadson was a huge piece to the puzzle, and seeing him named as a top-100 player in 2026 really hammers that home.
